Key Highlights

  • iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) returned 113.00 percent year to date through October 2, 2026, with USD 48.8 billion of net assets, 30 holdings and a net asset value of USD 588.85, according to the issuer.
  • Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) rose 2.1 percent to a record USD 238.90 on October 5, while Broadcom also gained 2.1 percent, but Intel fell between 2.6 percent and 3.3 percent to USD 116.19.
  • The fund's NAV sits about 10.1 percent below its 52-week high of USD 655.22, simple arithmetic on two published numbers, and its price-to-earnings ratio is 51.05 with a three-year beta of 2.06.
  • iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) is scheduled for a forward split with record date November 3, 2026 and split-adjusted trading from November 5, 2026, so share price comparisons will change.

Leaders Advance, Others Slip

Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) closed at a record USD 238.90 on October 5, 2026, up 2.1 percent, and published tallies place its value near USD 6 trillion, or about USD 5.76 trillion in some accounts. A published semiconductor index fund rose 0.52 percent, less than the 1.05 percent gain in the Nasdaq Composite. Teradyne (NASDAQ:TER) jumped 8.0 percent, while Western Digital and Seagate each fell 10.2 percent after Toshiba said it will expand hard-drive capacity, and Intel declined after a report that TSMC may join Elon Musk's Terafab project in Texas with Intel. The October 5 move for iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) was not verified, so this article uses index and stock moves as context only.

What the Fund Measures

iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) tracks the NYSE Semiconductor Index. As of October 2, 2026, semiconductors made up 81.78 percent and equipment 18.07 percent, with an expense ratio of 0.33 percent. Its year-to-date total return was 113.00 percent against 113.51 percent for the benchmark, and its one-year return was 169.60 percent, so the group has been among the market's strongest. A P/E ratio of 51.05 and price-to-book of 11.29 reflect high expectations. Foxconn reported third-quarter revenue of NT 3.03 trillion dollars, up 47 percent, which supports the AI hardware demand case. A higher 10-year yield, near 5.31 percent, lowers the present value of those future earnings.

Concentration, Risks and Dates

A three-year beta of 2.06 means the fund has moved about twice as much as the market, so it can fall sharply when sentiment turns. The NAV of USD 588.85 compares with a 52-week range of USD 268.01 to USD 655.22, so the fund was not at a high on October 2 even as Nvidia was. Peers include iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWM) for small caps. Watch the Federal Reserve minutes on October 7 at 2:00 p.m. ET, jobless claims on October 8, University of Michigan sentiment on October 9 and bank earnings on October 13. Heavy index concentration, export rules and a hardware pullback such as storage names are the main risks.

Where Things Stand

Chips still lead the market, since iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) is up 113.00 percent this year, but leadership is narrowing to a few names as storage and legacy chip stocks slip. Nvidia at a record helps, yet the fund's NAV was about 10.1 percent below its 52-week high on October 2. A 5.31 percent yield and the October 7 minutes are the next tests. This is analysis, not a recommendation.